A SECOND expatriate jockey at Taipa was assaulted yesterday morning despite enhanced security precautions taken at the track by the Macau Jockey Club. Irish rider John Egan was confronted by several men outside his apartment shortly before 5 am as he was on the way to the racetrack to work horses for trainer Kevin Connolly. The assault lasted several minutes, with the assailants kicking and punching the jockey, and came just six weeks after Australian champion jockey Geoff Allendorf was viciously assaulted outside the Taipa course in a pre-dawn attack by men using iron bars.Allendorf had been threatened a few weeks earlier. Egan, who arrived later at the track, did not ride out but the injuries received were fairly superficial and did not require hospital treatment. Although not available for comment yesterday, the former Irish champion apprentice told Taipa colleagues that he had been badly shaken up by the incident and had no idea why it had occurred. The latest incident has prompted further calls for increased security at the course although the MJC have noticeably stepped up their policing of the track, particularly in the early hours. ''This just adds to the uncertainty of the place. What are you meant to do? You can seemingly be attacked at random outside your apartment or close to the track,'' said one trainer last night. ''It makes our families very worried because I understand both Egan and Allendorf did not know why they were attacked.'' Egan has had a successful Macau career although it was interrupted last year by a three-month ban. He rode largely for compatriot Johnny Roe but that partnership broke up and he has since been riding for Connolly and Claude Charlet, who has Allendorf as his retained jockey. French trainer Charlet has been outspoken in the past about security on the course. It is understood that the MJC management will discuss the latest incident but it did happen some distance from the track. Egan's apartment is about a quarter of a mile from the course which is now brilliantly lit in the early hours. Meanwhile, another Macau-based jockey, Gary Palmer, left for Australia last night blasting medical authorities in the Portuguese-administered enclave. Palmer broke his collarbone in two places on Saturday and has also injured his neck. He said yesterday: ''I asked to stay in hospital overnight but they virtually turned me out into the street even though I was in considerable pain. ''I asked them for a neck brace but they would not put one on and I had to get my wife to go and buy one for me. We then put it on ourselves. ''I do not know when I will be back riding but it will be at least two months. It is a bad double break.'' The Queensland-born rider added: ''I am disgusted with the way the hospital handled it all. It looked as if they just didn't care less. In fact, one of the doctors virtually said that.
